Deloitte Human Capital Consulting’s Pam Maharaj will be handing out the award on Thursday.
Pam Maharaj, director and Africa leader at Deloitte Human Capital Consulting, says she is looking forward to the CHRO Awards ceremony taking place on 26 November 2020 at Inanda Club in Johannesburg. Pam has been a part of the judging panel since the awards were introduced in 2019 and, during this year’s celebration of HR excellence in South Africa, she will be handing out the Strategy & Leadership Award that has been sponsored by Deloitte. On why Deloitte continues to support this event, Pam says there has never been a greater need for HR leaders to step up and lean into issues that go way past the traditional C-suite agenda.
“Our world today is unlike anything we have experienced before. Many roles have become integrated; from working and leading, to home-schooling and caretaking. How we respond impacts our clients, employees, the organisation and society,” says Pam, adding that the role of the CHRO could not be more important as business leaders around the world have had to refocus their workforce strategies, priorities and programmes.
“In a world where digitisation is being accelerated, the role of the human often comes into question. Integrating human and digital capabilities is, therefore, embedded in the role and ability of the CHRO to lead in humanising work, the workforce and the workplace,” says Pam.
“While we may have had disruptions to our world, we have also seen the best of individuals through their response, adaptability, flexibility, innovation, ideation and collaboration. We have the opportunity to bring the best of humanity to the fore, by embracing the future, expanding our reach and extending our influence.”
Pam believes this is a time for business leaders to be mindful and acknowledge – with care, empathy and understanding – the new reality of both their clients and their employees. They need to foster open dialogue and open practices around well-being. They need to move the focus on the individual at work to the individual in work. To start the process of integrating well-being into the design of work, she believes there are three critical steps that CHROs should consider, namely, establishing the right ownership for care and well-being, spending the time to understand their workforce well-being needs and engaging employees in work design deliberations.
“While no one truly knows how the pandemic will end, the decisions and actions we take today will directly shape, influence, and generate the possibilities of tomorrow. And the CHRO, focused on humanising the world of work, is a key source of strength for the future-focused organisation seeking to make the most of human capital in today’s dynamic environment,” says Pam.
